The scheme includes a new 3.7km (2.3 mile) pipeline, 250mm (10 inches) in diameter, which is being laid from Poverty Bottom Pumping Station near Bishopstone, to Firle Service Reservoir, near Firle Beacon.

New state-of-the-art pumps and equipment will be installed at Poverty Bottom Pumping Station to help pump the additional water to Firle Service Reservoir.

When completed in November, the water will flow by gravity from the reservoir via existing underground water mains to the Ringmer and Burgess Hill areas, to help safeguard supplies.

Graham Webb, infrastructure development manager for South East Water, said, "This scheme adds to our existing water grid giving us the flexibility to move water from area to area, to where the demand is the greatest.

"We can already transfer water from the north of Sussex to the south, so this helps complete a vital piece of our comprehensive water grid.
"It will also mean that we have a more secure supply to our customers during emergencies such as burst mains or in periods of drought."

South East Water says that there will be no disruption to water supplies during this essential work and that the land excavated during the pipe laying will be fully reinstated and reseeded.

The scheme is part of South East Water's five-year £310 million investment programme to improve the network of water mains, develop new water resources and continue to provide top quality water.